Do All Ponds Have Fish??? 2024
troythebassman reply :
I have heard recently that all ponds, BY LAW, have to be stocked for mosquito regulations. Is this true? If this is the case, every single pond you see on the side of the road holds fish?
livetofish28 reply :
Well if that's the case then I need to start fishin ponds
war-eagle reply :
Don't know.
quit fishing ponds years ago.
Was like shooting fish in a barrel.
pbizzle reply :
On 7/11/2013 at 5:25 AM, war-eagle said:Don't know.
quit fishing ponds years ago.
Was like shooting fish in a barrel.
With a shotgun.
war-eagle reply :
LOL!
Revival reply :
Is this for every state? I know a pond here in Vegas that did not have fish till someone released some catfish in it.
greendragon reply :
I hear some ponds especially sediment ponds are too acidic to hold any aquatic life.
pbizzle reply :
I think it depends on size. I think a pond has to be like two acres before it can hold any fish.
Revival reply :
On 7/11/2013 at 7:41 AM, pbizzle said:I think it depends on size. I think a pond has to be like two acres before it can hold any fish.
When I lived in Colorado there was a pond the size of my living room that had bluegill, catfish and a 6lb bass! 2 of the 4 ponds I fish at now are small too and it holds bass, carp, bluegill etc.
JunkYard814 reply :
I don't know the law, but I would imagine that would be way too hard to regulate. Smaller ponds heat up very quickly and freeze quicker than larger bodies of water, meaning fish would be exposed to extreme temperatures and probably die. I would assume that if it was even possible to get some fish in every body of water in a state, it would be too much work to consistently check to make sure the wildlife is taking.
Also, at what point does a puddle become a pond?
Sam reply :
No. All ponds do not hold fish.
There is a drainage pond by my American Legion Post that is beautiful but no fish. Not even a minnow.
When the word "all" is used in a question the answer is usually negative so "no" all ponds do not hold fish.
Nubbins1911 reply :
You never know till you try, this pond is very small but have caught a 4.5lbs a few times here and few smaller but shuts down after I catch 3 fish 
bmlum415 reply :
Where I am, every pond I know of holds bass. The drainage ponds around here have them but are fenced off and aren't fishable. Same goes for the golf course ponds as well
moguy1973 reply :
There are a lot of ponds here that are fishless lakes. The Conservation Dept even lists smaller ponds on some of their Conservation areas as being "fishless" ponds.
Bankbeater reply :
In Mo. I think they need to be stocked. If I remember what I read it went something like this, panfish to eat the small stuff, bass to control the sunfish, and catfish and carp to do the clean up.
MitchTBF reply :
Interesting subject. I have also wondered the same thing.
bluezed reply :
On 7/11/2013 at 9:45 AM, Nubbins1911 said:You never know till you try, this pond is very small but have caught a 4.5lbs a few times here and few smaller but shuts down after I catch 3 fish
I also live in NoVA and my neighborhood has a pretty good sized pond, probably 500ft x 150ft. I know it holds some panfish. I'll have to try it one of these days to see if there is anything else. I've never seen anyone fishing there, though.
Troutfisher reply :
I'm not sure of the law here in WV, but as Sam said, it all depends on what you consider a pond.
Most of the ones we have around my area have bass and bluegill, even the smaller ones, but I don't know of any law that requires them to be stocked with fish.
Preytorien reply :
I don't know about other states, but here in Indiana a DNR agent told me that any body of water that has public access (not private ponds), including even the smallest pond in shopping centers are required to have fish in them to control mosquito populations. That was several years ago so I'm not sure. I know a lot of retention ponds have good fish in them but they're sometimes shown to have pesticides too. I was talking to a neighborhood association president I work with and he said their neighborhood stocks their pond once a year with yearling bass and bluegill at a ratio of 250-to-1000. Since then we've pulled many 3lb bass out of there with some rumors that a couple of lucky guys have pulled in 6lb+ bass, and kids are regularly wrangling with 8-10in blugills. As long as the population is kept in check it seems that the required stocking is working in favor of us fishermen.
AK-Jax86 reply :
I think that's the case in FL. All those retention ponds on the side of the highways have fish and hold some massive ones. I occasionally see people fishing them I need to start
DogmanRich reply :
toss some hand crushed crackers in if theres fish they'll eat em up.. bluegills and the bluegills get ate by the big boys and girls,,, miss small pond fishing lol
surfer reply :
In central Florida the fish seam to magically show up in all ponds. I have seen many a retention pond dug and within two years there are fish. This could be in part to is having so many lakes n ponds that they are all within a half mile of another one. Not sure how it happens.
With exception to water that is to toxic.
WRB reply :
Mosquito fish, Gambusia Affina, are small minnows used to abate insects in ponds, not a regulation that I am aware of ? if there was we would have it!
A pond is a pond, no agreement on when a pond becomes a small lake or tank.
Tom
Lil'Gunner reply :
No telling for sure until you catch something, but some clues are 1) does it have a culvert inlet / outlet? Means it's connected to other ditches, ponds, creek and yes, likely has fish. 2) are you in the coastal plain - the flatlands? These places flood from time to time, despite people's best attempts to pretend otherwise. The ponds are in the low points, so they all connect up once in awhile and fish move around.
One way I suss this out is to use Google Earth. Look for the pond on past aerial photos. If it's been around 15, 20, 30 years, you can be pretty sure it has fish.
Not sure about the regulation / must have fish thing. That could mean mosquito fish, which can live in a lot of places that bass cannot.
Love the crumbled cracker idea, Dogman.. I'll have to try that.
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
Never know till you try it..
bigbill reply :
I find bass in just about any size body of water from smaller ponds to drainage containment areas in building complexes too. I've witnessed the bass growing at a new complex through the many years from drinks to 3lbers. While practicing catch and release. I'm thinking the ducks move the bass eggs from place to place. Otherwise I have no clue how the panfish and bass get there.
These smaller ponds are my favorite places to fish at. Where fishing most of the time were the fish have never seen a hook yet.
There is one place where I do not fish. It has turtles there during the summer months but this body of water doesn't freeze in the wintertime there is no ice over. This raises the question about the quality of the water and is there something in it that causes it not to freeze.
I don't eat fresh caught fish from too many places. Most of our lakes on the western side of the state have PCB's from the GE Plant in Mass. Plus everywhere is a high level of mercury too.
JaxBasser reply :
Here in FL it seems like any body of water that has had water in it for more than a year or so has bass. I've caught 5lb fish out of ponds and ditches that look like giant mud puddles.
trueblue1970 reply :
I also live in Florida and any pond around here holds fish, large or small.
DogBone_384 reply :
Great question. The Blue Hills Reservoir near me, according to the state, was completely drained and repaired in 2008 and isn't stocked. I had a great 1st half fishing it this year. There are LMB, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, and Sunnies there. How they got there, who knows..
http://friendsofthebluehills.org/protecting-wetlands-blue-hills-reservoir/
http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/04water/html/blue_hills.htm
Sam reply :
No.
Retaining ponds do not have fish.
Old, dead ponds do not have fish.
Polluted ponds do no have fish.
Excavation ponds do not have fish.
Ponds beneath the surface of the earth in caves and caverns do not have fish.
Farm ponds for livestock may not have fish.
Drainage ponds may not hold fish.
Very shallow ponds may not hold fish.
Remember, when taking a test and the word "all" is used in the question the answer is usually false or "no."
5 Dollar Fishing Game reply :
Never heard of that. However it would be nice though. :-)
Also, Ponds aren't always "shooting fish in a barrel" I know many ponds here in NC that are stocked and have plenty of big bass. If you don't bring your A game, you're skunked.
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